The House Museum

The Suomussalmi House Museum is located in Kirkkoniemi, Suomussalmi church village. It was opened in 1967. None of the museum buildings stood originally in Kirkkoniemi, where the first church of Suomussalmi was built, but they have been moved to their present site one by one from various villages of Suomussalmi. According to the plan of the museum there will be a total of 18 buildings when the area is completed. At the moment 16 buildings are already erected in the site. The museum gives an idea of how people lived in the 18th and 19th century in Suomussalmi.

HOUSE OF ALANNE
The main building in the museum area is the house of Alanne. It is one of the first known houses in Suomussalmi. Originally the house was located by Lake Alanne (south-east from the Suomussalmi center) and it was used as an inn by Karelian tradesmen. The house of Alanne was a wealthy house and well-known for its hospitality.

The oldest part of the present building is the large living room which dates back to the 18th century. It was chimneyless and smoke was let out through a vent in the ceiling. The hall and the extension of two rooms were added to the living room in 1852. The living room in its present state demostrates a late 19th century Suomussalmi house. Objects of the previous century are exhibited in the rooms of the extension.